Love Your Neighbor

While Sandy happened two weeks ago now, there are still people without power, people who have been robbed, people who just can't seem to get back to where they were before Sandy hit. Yet out of all of these bad stories, there are the heroes that come through.

Throughout time we have seen people do amazing things when something horrible happens. As selfish and conceited as we can come off, in a time of need (or just a season of giving), we are able to step up to the plate and do astounding things.

A Sandy example: A friend of mine is the Executive Chef of The Tapp in Tarrytown, NY. Not only did she go out and donate blood and work in a soup kitchen to help those affected by Sandy, but she had her restaurant made their special Mac & Cheese and sold it for $15. 100% of their Mac & Cheese sales went to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief. This Chef also went to the hardest hit areas and made hot meals for people who had nothing to eat.

I know there were countless others who did great, courageous things, but for me, it was great to see this example that was a bit more personal.

An example from home (UTAH!): Being the Christmas season, many people are in the giving mood. You can donate money for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, trees where you can take an 'Angel' that has a list of things needed by a child who would otherwise not get a Christmas.

Down in Cedar City, Winger's Roadhouse Cedar City has an annual Shop With a Cop fundraiser. Here is what the store owner had to say:

[This is] an event that is held every year in Cedar City to raise money for underprivileged kids so that they can have a Christmas.  Our servers donate 100% of their tips and this night is a purely volunteer shift so the servers sign up for the event.  It's our stores favorite event of the year and our biggest way to give back to the community.

This is a program that happens all over the state, but to see a restaurant join in and have a complete volunteer night if work is truly astounding. Having been a server, in Utah you already feel like you are 'volunteering' your time some nights with your hourly pay (~ $2.25/hr), so to truly donate your night for absolutely nothing is very admirable. 

Unfortunately I will not be near Cedar City tonight, but if you are, I highly encourage you to stop by and participate in this great event!

Humans are capable of great things, and when we do great things together we create what we wish society was like every day. Perhaps the more we can get things like this to happen, the more we will see ever greater things that we are capable of.